This invention relates to a disposable diaper for absorption and containment of excretion discharged thereon.
Japanese Utility Model Application Publication No. 1994-11723A describes a disposable diaper comprising a liquid-pervious first topsheet, a liquid-impervious backsheet, a liquid-absorbent core disposed between these two sheets, and a liquid-resistant second topsheet lying on the outer surface of the first topsheet and having longitudinally opposite end portions joined to the first topsheet. The second topsheet is provided in a longitudinally middle zone thereof with an opening and, around this opening, a plurality of elastic members spaced apart one from another by a given dimension longitudinally of the diaper and extending transversely of the diaper are secured under tension to the second topsheet. Contraction of these elastic members causes the opening to be widened transversely of the diaper. The diaper is able to receive feces into this opening and to prevent feces from moving and spreading from this opening.
However, it is impossible for the diaper disclosed in this Publication to separate urine and feces discharged into the opening at once from each other and it is concerned that urine, loose passage and watery feces might be mixed together and even if feces are solid, the feces might be mixed with urine to loosen.
According to this invention, there is provided a disposable diaper having transversely opposite side edges and longitudinally opposite ends, comprising a liquid-pervious topsheet, a liquid-impervious backsheet and a liquid-absorbent core disposed therebetween to define a front waist region, a rear waist region and a crotch region extending therebetween.
The diaper further comprises an opening being defined over a predetermined area extending across the rear waist region into the crotch region on an inner surface of the diaper by a pair of cushioning pad members extending transversely of the diaper and spaced apart from each other longitudinally of the diaper and a pair of liquid-resistant side flaps extending longitudinally of the diaper and spaced apart from each other transversely of the diaper; the cushioning pad members protruding from the inner side of the diaper; the liquid-resistant side sheets having proximal edges joined to the inner surface of the diaper, distal edges lying inside the proximal edges and extending between the pad members, and longitudinally opposite end portions being contiguous to transversely opposite ends of each the pad members covering and joined to the inner surface of the diaper; and the distal edges being elastically stretchable longitudinally of the diaper.
In the disposable diaper according to this invention the pad members cooperate with the side flaps to provide the inner side of the diaper with the opening into which feces is directly discharged. The pad members and the side flaps function as barriers to prevent undesirable movement of urine into the opening and movement of feces outward from the opening and thereby to prevent urine and feces discharged at once from being intermixed.
The pad member lying in the rear waist region can bear against the wearer""s coccyx substantially in conformity with the recess of the coccyx while the pad member lying in the crotch region can bear against the wearer""s crotch substantially in conformity with its shape. With an advantageous consequence, there is no anxiety that gaps or passages for urine and/or feces might be formed between the diaper and the wearer""s skin. Additionally, the pad members have a sufficiently high cushioning property to avoid a possibility that these pad members might become bulky along their base edges and oblique edges as well as at their transversely opposite end portions. In this way, the diaper can be worn without any feeling of incompatibility.